After Floyd snub, what's next for Amir Khan?

ABS-CBN News

Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer insisted that the future remains bright for British boxer Amir “King” Khan even after he was snubbed by unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his May 3 fight date.

Khan was for a time the front-runner to land the big money fight against Mayweather, but the American on Tuesday announced that he was instead choosing to face off against hard-hitting Argentine Marcos Maidana.

“I feel very disappointed for Amir. He is a terrific fighter,” Schaefer said in an interview with ESPN. “I think he has the necessary skill set to beat Floyd Mayweather because of his speed.”

Schaefer assured Khan that he will have a “big fight” in the near future, noting that “there are a lot of exciting opportunities in the 147-pound weight class.”

In a separate interview with Boxing Scene, Schaefer said both Khan and former world champion Adrien Broner – who lost to Maidana last December – have big fights ahead of them.

“I’m going to be working with the respective teams, including the team of Adrien Broner, to put together the most exciting fights,” he said.

“Now we know the centerpiece of the puzzle, which is Mayweather and Maidana, and now we can go and start filling out the remaining cards and dates, whether its April 19th or April 26 or May 3rd,” he added.

Schaefer said both Khan and Broner will have to decide whether they are fighting at light-welterweight (140 pounds) or welterweight (147 pounds), but stressed that they will have no shortage of opponents at either weight class.

“There are a lot of names at 140 and 147. There is Lucas Matthysse as well, Keith Thurmann as well, Paulie Malignaggi as well, Luis Collazo as well, there is potentially a Robert Guerrero as well,” Schaefer said.

“There are all of these names out there. There are a lot of names who want to be in big fights,” he said.

Khan, in a statement, expressed his disappointment and frustration over being snubbed by Mayweather, and claimed that the American “avoided the fight with me.”

But the Bolton-based boxer also wished both Maidana and Mayweather “all the best for their fight.”

“As a team, we have now moved on and are looking at different options,” he said. “I’m focused and ready for my next outing. We currently have a few options on the table at the moment and my team is working alongside Golden Boy Promotions to announce my next fight within the next 10 days.”